


Fate and Miracles

by wapaksoccet13



Category: Fire Emblem: Fuukasetsugetsu | Fire Emblem: Three Houses
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Alternate Universe - Twins, Character Death, F/F, One Shot
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-04-08
Updated: 2020-04-08
Packaged: 2021-03-02 05:01:24
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,587
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23539522
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/wapaksoccet13/pseuds/wapaksoccet13
Summary: Fate can be a set path.Miracles can create divergences.What happens when they meet?
Relationships: Edelgard von Hresvelg/My Unit | Byleth
Comments: 3
Kudos: 17





	Fate and Miracles

Ash Eisner hated to lose. During his life despite being the first-born, he always felt like he was getting the seconds of his sister’s accomplishments. She was always the one to hold their father’s attention when they were younger. After becoming mercenaries, Ash was forced to watch his father’s men become enraptured with his younger sister’s prowess as a fighter. Even as he earned the nickname of Ashen Demon, he was always second to his sister.

Then came the night at Remire Village. Ash thought his fate had changed as the beautiful Edelgard von Hresvelg came into his life, but such thought was diminished quickly. His sister saved the heir of the Adrestian Empire from the bandits that were attacking her and her fellow Officer Academy nobles, Dimitri Blaiddyd and Claude von Riegan, and the rest became history after she accepted a professorship at Garreg Mach Monastery. Under the watchful eye of the archbishop Rhea and her second-in-command Seteth, Ash was forced to watch his sister develop a close bond with Edelgard, infuriating him to no end.

It wasn’t until one night that Tomas, the librarian at Garreg Mach, approached him with a proposition. Without revealing too much, Tomas promised the Ashen Demon more power than his sister or anyone else in the church could ever hope to possess; all he had to do was push his sister past the limits of her anger. Though weary of Tomas’s intentions, Ash accepted the proposition.

Soon, the Sword of the Creator was discovered, falling into the hands of his sister. Just weeks after the discovery, Flayn, Seteth’s younger sister, was kidnapped and then rescued with one other student by his sister. His anger rising, Ash was only told to be patient by Tomas, promises of fulfillment lingering just out of reach.

He wasn’t expecting the death of his father to be what began his conquest to power. Though his sister unlocked a hidden power to become the Enlightened One, she had unknowingly allowed the ancient evil known as Nemesis, the King of Liberation, to awaken as well. Sensing the darkness that resided in Ash’s heart, he reached out to the young man, promising the power that Tomas had once promised him in exchange for the death of his sister. Ash accepted without hesitation, becoming the high general to Nemesis’s forces.

It was not long after that Edelgard ascended to the throne, becoming the new emperor of the Adrestian Empire. Under her orders, Ash watched as the Adrestian Empire began its war against the other two kingdoms. Rumors flew about his sister’s disappearance; Nemesis insisted that they take advantage of the situation. Ash refused, choosing to instead wait until his sister returned so that the fall of everything she cherished happened right before her eyes.

Five years passed without any sign of his sister. Nemesis tired of waiting, so had Ash. With the Adrestian Empire on the verge of taking the land from the Holy Kingdom of Faerghus and the Leicester Alliance, Ash seized his moment and captured all three leaders. Each domain was forced into a standstill as their leaders were brought back to the Garreg Mach for their executions. With their leaders under his guard and Nemesis’s forces under his command, he held a force of power that not even his sister could achieve. 

On the day that the executions were set to take place, Ash was waiting on the one voice that haunted him for years. He was not kept waiting for long.

“Brother!”

Ash looked up to find his younger sister, Belle Eisner, glaring at him as he held Edelgard’s famed dagger against its owner’s throat. It looked as if she hadn’t aged a day since she disappeared; her hair, a bright green instead of the dark blue hue that matched his, was still present, along with the power that she had awakened all those years ago. In her hand was the Sword of the Creator, the sight of the sword eliciting a chuckle from his companion.

“Well, well, well. To think that the Sword of the Creator would end up in the hands of a child,” Nemesis said as he moved to stand beside Ash.

“My teacher! Get out of here! Do not worry about-” Edelgard tried to yell, only for Ash to edge the knife much closer to her throat.

Belle’s grip tightened her grip around the hilt, the sight of her beloved in such a state infuriating her.

“Her Majesty!” From the sounds of Hubert’s cry, the Black Eagle Strike Force and their allies had finally made their way to the courtyard. It gave Belle some relief, but her focus remained on El. So much had changed in her brother, but to think that he had been the one behind all of this madness was unthinkable. Yet, there he was.

Ash looked amongst his former friends and pupils, watching as the Kingdom and the Alliance forces flanked opposite sides of his younger sister and her strike force. It had always been his goal to help reunite the lands of Fódlan under one banner, but Ash had always hoped it would have been under his banner, not whatever contingent Belle had managed to create.

“Allow me to take care of them,” Nemesis suggested, drawing his Dark Creator Sword as he spoke.

“Handle her allies. Leave my sister to me,” Ash answered, his eyes never leaving his sister’s.

Nemesis smirked before leading the charge against the Kingdom’s and Alliance’s forces. Ash watched as he battled scores of soldiers, the former King of Liberation holding his own against his opponents. It was only due to Belle’s intervention that Nemesis was defeated, the Sword of the Creator dealing the final blow against its former wielder.

“Professor, you must know that you do not stand a chance against her now,” Edelgard warned, careful with her words as her dagger’s blade remained against her throat.

“She’s right, you know,” Dimitri was quick to add.

Claude laughed. “To think that this is what would unite all of Fódlan is embarrassing to say the least.”

When Belle’s eyes turned up to meet Ash’s, he knew what was to come next. Pulling Edelgard to her feet, Ash forced his captive down the steps and towards his sister. The fighting around them began to calm, all eyes turning towards him as he continued his walk towards his sister. Belle held the Sword of the Creator between them, but Ash could see the hesitation in her eyes.

“Make your decision, dear sister,” was the only warning Ash gave before he plunged the dagger into the back of Edelgard.

All who witnessed the scene stared in shock, unable to move as Ash moved away from the emperor. Belle was the first to move, rushing to catch her beloved as Edelgard fell forward. Hubert ran to Belle’s side, the emperor crying out in pain as the dagger was pulled from her back.

“Hubert, go get Manuela or Lindhart! Someone!” Belle shouted, looking at the emperor’s confidant. His eyes stared in horror as the emperor curled more into Belle’s arms. “Hurry!”

At Belle’s insistence, Hubert ran to the support lines. Belle blinked in shock when a hand covered her cheek. She looked down to see Edelgard smiling up at her, the obvious pain in her eyes even as she smiled up at her beloved.

“You must...stop him. If we do not...then all of Fódlan will fall,” the emperor said softly, grunting in pain. “Please, my teacher. You must save Fódlan.”

“Professor, we will stay with her until help arrives,” Dimitri was the first to them, his forces having taken advantage of the confusion.

Claude was next, resting a hand on Belle’s forearm. “You can count on us, Teach. We’ll keep her safe.”

Belle looked to both of them before looking down at Edelgard. “Thank you. All of you.” She gripped Edelgard’s hand one last time before standing up. “I won’t let my brother destroy the unity we’ve created together.”

Leaving the three behind, Belle gave chase after Ash, her grip tightening on the hilt of the Sword of the Creator. As she ran down hallway after hallway, her mind went back to the ball. The last time the five of them were together, smiles and laughter abound, as they celebrated just being with each other. As she came to the entrance of the cathedral, the gates opened in invitation, Belle’s mind thought about all the events that led to this moment.

Edelgard’s revelation as the Flame Emperor and the attack at the Holy Temple. Dimitri’s attempt to attack Edelgard, only to be stopped by Belle and Claude. Belle’s disappearance after the battle with Rhea. When Belle awoke five years later, she was met with the revelation that Ash was now working with Those Who Slither in the Dark, the group responsible for the death of their father. The kingdoms, in the midst of a war, were forced to join together as the awakening of Nemesis was revealed, and the three leaders of each kingdom were captured by Ash. Belle had no choice but to face her brother, determined to save her beloved and her friends.

So many paths, yet this was the one fate had dictated for them.

“Are you truly going to fight him?” Sothis’s voice drifted into Belle’s mind.

“I have to.”

“Even knowing that it could mean the death of either you or your brother?”

“Yes.”

Sothis appeared in her natural form to Belle’s left, causing her to slow to a stop. “I cannot guarantee that our combined strength will be able to stop him. That’s even with the Sword of the Creator being taken into account.”

Belle looked down at the sword, before forcing her eyes towards the opposite side of the cathedral. Her brother stood waiting for her, the same look of determination in his eyes. There was no turning back, and she knew that Sothis could sense it as she disappeared.

“You may have the power of the progenitor god, Belle, but you never could defeat me, even when we were younger,” Ash said as he watched his sister walk towards him.

“Miracles can happen, Ash.”

Ash raised his sword towards his sister, a dark glow starting to surround him. “You’ll need one to defeat the power I’ve been bestowed.”

Thinking back to her friends, colleagues, and her beloved, Belle raised her sword. “Let’s end this once and for all, Brother!”

Their blades clashed, resounding off of the walls around them. Both swung with as much strength as they could muster, each determined to force the other’s sword down. Reminiscent of their spars with Jeralt, neither sibling could find an opening, each swing taking taxing their already battle-worn bodies past their limits. Her brother hadn’t lied when he spoke of achieving a new power, but it only meant that it matched that of the power Sothis had granted Belle. With time running out, Belle knew she was going to have to do something drastic in order to gain the upper hand against Ash.

It was when she saw her brother pivot on his back foot that she saw her opportunity. Ash lunged forward, intending for his move to force Belle back into a corner. What he wasn’t expecting was for his sister to step towards him, allowing for his blade to plunge into her side. Caught off-guard, Ash wasn’t prepared to stop Belle’s sword from embedding itself into his stomach.

A moment of silence filled the air around them, only to be interrupted by Ash’s coughing. Blood splashed onto his sister’s face, even as she fought to withhold her own groans of pain. Ash was the first to release the grip on his sword, falling to a knee in front of Belle. His sister stumbled back, her hands going to his blade. As quick as she could, Belle pulled his blade from her side, crying out in pain as the steel left her body.

Ash chuckled. “And here...I thought you were...some tough little girl who didn’t know...how to cry…”

Belle looked up at her brother, a smirk on her face. “It’s like...you said, Brother. Just needed...a miracle…”

Ash looked down, seeing the blood stains around his wound starting to grow. “It seems...you finally got one…”

“My teacher!”

Belle turned her head, surprised to find her friends standing at the entrance of the cathedral. Edelgard was leaning against Hubert, and the sight of her beloved filled Belle’s heart with relief. Her brother’s coughs brought Belle’s attention back to him, though she wasn’t expecting to find him smiling at her.

“Looks like...you won this one...dear sister. Here’s...to hoping that your future...is much...happier…”

Belle watched with sadness as her brother fell to his side, his eyes wide open as the last of his life escaped his body. Overcome with exhaustion, Belle’s eyes closed shut as she fell back, but it was into a body behind her and not the floor as she was expecting. She opened her eyes to find Edelgard looking down at her with tears in her eyes.

Belle smiled up at her beloved. “You’re...you’re ok…”

Edelgard returned the smile as Lindhart came up to Belle’s left. “Yes. You will be too. Just stay with us ok?”

Belle wanted to answer, but she was too tired. She wanted to stay awake for her beloved, but she could feel the energy leaving her body. Knowing that Edelgard was safe, Belle accepted her fate, and she waited for the reunion of her family.

A reunion that never came.

Belle would wake up several days later to Edelgard’s smiling face. Thanks to Lindhart’s and Flayn’s combined magic, Belle’s wound was sealed enough to get her back to the infirmary for proper medical attention. With the intervention of Seteth, the leaders of the Empire, the Kingdom, and the Alliance came together to bring the lands of Fódlan together under one banner. Claude was selected to rule the new nation with Dimitri and Edelgard both becoming advisors to help the transition, though both kept their titles of their respective lands.

With Rhea still listed as missing, Belle was offered the position of archbishop following Seteth’s recommendation, but she turned it down. Instead, she recommended that the former second-in-command take the position. After much discussion with Flayn and the new leaders of the nation, Seteth accepted with Flayn taking his former position.

While the members of the Black Eagle Strike Force all took to helping the new nation in their own ways, Belle and Edelgard took advantage of their few private moments. They had a quiet marriage ceremony, surrounded by all of their closest friends. Belle spent a few more years as a professor before choosing to retire with Edelgard from their respective positions. A year later, the couple welcomed a new son and heir to the Adrestian Empire, thoughtfully named Ash Ionius Jeralt von Hresvelg.

Even as Belle grew older, peacefully watching her son grow into a rambunctious boy that reminded her too well of her older brother, she couldn’t help but wonder what would have happened if things had been reversed. If her brother had been the one to live and had a family as she had. Even as the dark thoughts threatened to engulf her mind, El would round the corner, her loving smile bringing Belle back to reality. The reality where she had found love and happiness amongst a world healed after constant conflict.

A reality where miracles could happen.

**Author's Note:**

> Oof, it's been a while since I've written anything. So thanks for reading this little one-shot.
> 
> Thought this would be a great first contribution to the Three Houses fandom as I returned to writing for the first time in months!
> 
> Let me know what you think of it. Maybe I'll add on to it later down the road.
> 
> Don't forget to follow me on tumblr @wapaksoccet13 for any updates.


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